Electronic messaging, or e-mail, has rapidly become an essential business and personal tool. However, typical e-mail systems are disadvantageous in that they provide no way to ensure that a recipient of an e-mail is actually present to receive it.
In general, e-mail messages may not be of particular importance, and therefore it may not matter much if the message sits unopened on a recipient's computer. However, some messages may be of sufficient sensitivity that there could be a security or other risk in leaving them sitting unopened on a recipient's computer.
For example, a recipient may not necessarily want an e-mail of a personal nature to be available for casual perusal by someone with access to the computer. Similarly, a personnel supervisor may have a secretary monitor his e-mail while he is away. The supervisor might not want the secretary to view an e-mail containing complaints about other personnel. In other cases, the sender may deem an e-mail of sufficient import that wants it to appear prominently at the recipient's mailbox and not “buried” in spam.
As such, there is a need for a system and method for preventing viewing of an e-mail by a third party. There is a further need for a system and method for ensuring that an e-mail recipient is present to receive an e-mail before it is sent.